People have no idea how many calories are in alcoholic drinks despite pledges to lose weight, research suggests.
A poll of 2,000 Britons found fewer than one in three (29%) could say roughly how many calories are in a standard 175ml glass of wine (134).
This is despite 40% knowing their recommended daily calorie intake and 42% knowing the approximate number of calories in a cheeseburger (337).
The research, for industry funded charity Drinkaware, is to help launch a new online calculator, MyDrinkaware. People will be able to use the tool to track the effects of their drinking.
Almost half those surveyed (45%) said they were trying to lose weight, while 62% were worried about their bank balance, despite no plans to cut back on spending on alcohol.
Most (73%) would rather save money on eating out, new clothes and holidays than cutting down how much alcohol they buy.
And while some 30% of people plan to monitor their calorie intake over the next month, only 11% are thinking about tracking the amount of alcohol they drink.
The new online tool helps people translate their drinking into “burger” equivalents – with a pint of 4% beer or two double gin and tonics comparable to around one burger.
Chris Sorek, chief executive of Drinkaware, said: “We know that people understand calories better than they understand units, and this study shows that when it comes to tracking their alcohol consumption, many people have a ‘blind spot’.
“While they might make healthy lifestyle choices in other areas of their life, they might not know that sharing a bottle of wine with their partner exceeds the daily unit guidelines and is the equivalent of eating a slice of cheesecake.”
Article source: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/uk/how-many-calories-in-that-wine-16003157.html
